Is Greenland vital to U.S. security?

CFR Climate Realism Initiative Event Director Varun Sivaram asks, "What would [the annexation of Greenland] do for America’s race for geopolitical advantage in the Arctic?"

Sherri Goodman, senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute, responds by highlighting the United States’ long-standing defense arrangement with Denmark and Greenland, which includes a key military base, Pituffik Air Force Base, in northwestern Greenland. She emphasizes that the United States has maintained this presence since World War II, and that this base is already crucial for American security in the region. Sherri also discusses Greenland’s potential for clean energy mineral resources but acknowledges the significant challenges in developing them. Reflecting on her own visit to Greenland, she describes how the effects of climate change are already evident, from the receding ice sheet to rising sea levels, making Greenland a front line in the global climate battle.

New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells adds a new perspective by noting how climate change is reshaping global geopolitics. He argues that without accelerating environmental changes in the Arctic, the idea of annexing Greenland would likely not even be considered.

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